New Britain, CT Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

Adopted by Resolution No. 35885-2 on December 19, 2022, Section 25-1 of the Code of Ordinances is New Britain's owner-occupancy statute for accessory dwelling units. It requires the owner of any property with an ADU to claim one of the units on that parcel as a permanent residence and caps the property at a single accessory dwelling unit. Before the zoning department will issue a certificate of occupancy, the owner must sign and have notarized an affidavit acknowledging the ownership and occupancy statute and agreeing to comply with it.

That is not a one-time filing: the owner must submit proof of continued occupancy every year, either through the zoning department's online permitting system or by hand delivery to its office, and the code specifies a homeowner's insurance policy as the document that serves as that annual proof. Occupancy is also capped by headcount: no more than two people may live in the accessory dwelling unit at any given time. If an owner fails to submit the required annual proof, Section 25-1 exposes them to enforcement action, which the code says can include fines and a demolition order directed at the accessory dwelling unit itself, the most severe remedy available under New Britain's ADU rules. The statute pairs with Section 25-2's construction-timing rule and Section 25-3's utility-connection rule to form the city's complete accessory dwelling unit framework.